Raw Strawberry "Cheesecake"

You know when the alarm clock goes off  and you are still sleepy and you tell yourself, "just 5 more minutes."  Next thing you know it's 40minutes later!!!!  That's what happened this morning.  20min. to get the kid fed, lunch made and in the car to take to school.  I'm still tired...the night before I was letting my dog Cleo in and out of the house all night long because she was sick, must of ate something she shouldn't have...those labs!
Moving on to sweeter things.

I finally made a raw strawberry cheesecake or I should say almost raw because I did add some chunks of dark chocolate in the crust that weren't raw.   I can't wait to try another one...maybe lemon or chocolate?  We scarfed it down.  It was real easy to make, the longest part was the waiting around for it to set up.  I put it in the freezer to set...a little too long cuz then I had to let it defrost a bit. Next time, when I make it earlier in the day, I will chll it in the refrigerator.   It tasted more like a whipped strawberry dessert with an amazing crust.  Keaton and Dave really liked it.  This is a must on a hot summer night!  I adapted the recipe from GLIVING.COM, so you can see the original recipe by clicking here.  All of the ingredients are raw(obviously except the dark chocolate).  I also used coconut oil instead of cocoa butter because I didn't have any.  Below is the recipe of my version of this awesome dessert!

Raw Strawberry Cheescake

1 6-inch cheesecake or 9-inch (for a thinner filling)

For the Crust:

1/2 C. pecans

2 medjool dates

1/4 C. shredded coconut

pinch of salt*

3 oz. dark vegan chocolate, coarsly chopped

1.  In a food processor, process pecans, dates, coconut and salt until mixture resembles fine crumbs

2.  Next add in the chocolate and process a few time just to mix in.  You want some good chunks of chocolate in there.

3. Coat the pan with raw coconut oil. Press mixture into a springform pan.  (I wanted a really thick filling so I used a 6-inch springform pan.)

4. Set aside.

For the Filling:

1 C. cashews, soaked overnight

2 C. strawberries, sliced

1 Oz. coconut oil, melted

1/4 C. agave

1 T. lemon juice

1/2 vanilla bean seeds

1/8 salt*

1.  In a food processor add cashews and pulse until crumbly.

2.  Add the strawberries, agave, lemon juice, vanilla bean and salt until smooth. 

3.  Slowly pour in the coconut oil while the processor is blending until incorporated.

4.  Pour filling onto crust.

5.  Cover with plastic or aluminum foil and chill until set.  4-6 hrs.

Note* the salt I used is called HimalaSalt  .  I have a chunk of it and it came with the grater.